This Day in 1913 in The Record: Jan. 19, 1913

Sunday, Jan. 19, 1913. Troy's most famous baseball player, Johnny Evers, will manage the Chicago Cubs for the 1913 National League season. Local fans get an inside story of how Evers got the job in today's edition of the Northern Budget.

The Budget, a Sunday-only paper, reprints a story from the Chicago Daily News. The story reportedly comes from former Cubs manager Frank Chance, once part of the team's legendary "Tinker to Evers to Chance infield."

Chance, nicknamed the "Peerless Leader," was fired by Cubs owner Charles W. Murphy after the 1912 season. Chance was sacked after publicly accusing the team of having "failed to observe the rules of discipline." Murphy named Evers as the team's new manager, but the Daily News reports that the owner made a last-minute effort to reconcile with Chance.

Murphy "sent three personal representatives to Chance suggesting a compromise. These persons, so the story goes, informed Chance that Murphy regretted their quarrel and was anxious for peace; that Murphy was ready to offer an increase in salary and a three years' contract if he would forget the past.

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"The reply sent back to Murphy, however, made him boil over again, inasmuch as Chance stated with much feeling that he wouldn't take another dollar from the Cubs' owner and would retire from baseball if he could not secure his release. Chance, it is said, accused Murphy of circulating stories that were groundless and declared that if he could secure the necessary evidence he would bring suit for heavy damages against his former employer."

After that, Evers was Murphy's man. Further reports from Chicago elsewhere in the Budget describe Evers's plans for the team. He'll lead the team to spring training in Tampa in February. Meanwhile, he's reportedly pressing league officials for rules changes that will "increase batting."

Evers proposes that batters should walk after three balls instead of four, and that all baserunners should advance on a walk. If there's a runner on second but none on first, the runner would still go to third on a walk. More importantly, a runner on third would score on a walk, even if the bases aren't loaded.

The idea is to discourage intentional walks. "The scheme to be advocated by Evers is to make the pitcher put the ball over the plate," a Chicago sportswriter explains, "Virtually it would force them to get the sphere over, thereby enhancing the chances of the batter to hit."

Murphy says that he considers Evers's proposals good ideas, but he doesn't plan to press for them at upcoming league meetings. Too many rules changes will only confuse fans, he claims.